Science Fiction Interpretations

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Subject: Science Fiction Interpretations

Posted by: brm50diboll
Date: Jan 02 17

I have debated with myself starting a Virtual Blog for months. I have so little free time nowadays that I may not be able to keep it up, but I think I'll at least try. This is intended to be wide-ranging, so it wouldn't fit in the Television, Movies, or Literature boards categories and I don't want to clog up General with just my observations but here I can rant if I choose and people can choose to ignore me or engage my flawed analysis if they wish.

469 replies. On page 5 of 24 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Litecruzer

Well this is very interesting, hello Mcmiller. If you were to live a day or short period of time over and over again, without any physical accomplishments of yours carrying over as proof, then I guess it would take ever so much mental strength to retain what you've learned from each cycle.

In the Stargate Sg1 season 4 tv episode, "Window Of Opportunity", this very dilemma is showcased. Only two of the four member team are aware of repeating the same 10 hour time loop. After their repeated looping, with the help of their freshly apprised team member Daniel, implementing their collective knowledge of the matters involved, helped them to work their way out of it.

This does show that if we were to live much longer lifespans, then we would have the "time" along with the needed patience to accomplish much more. You had made mention of this earlier.

Also, there is a rather comical comparison to the movie "Groundhog Day" referred to here.

Reply #81. Apr 24 17, 2:31 PM

Litecruzer

The "Groundhog Day" comparison mentioned above was of a more serious tone actually. The episode had a blend of comedy and tragedy.

Reply #82. Apr 24 17, 3:50 PM

brm50diboll

Litecruzer, I find your observations very interesting. I never watched Stargate (either the movie or the series), but there are actually many things I probably would be interested in I never saw. Perhaps the episode you referred to I can investigate on my own by googling (maybe). It does intrigue me.

Many good comedies have serious elements in them. I did feel compelled to "explain" why I was bringing up Groundhog Day in my blog on science fiction. I already have brought up several things that people can make the case for are not science fiction, and will continue to do so, as long as there is an element in it that can be construed as science fiction, so I may drift further and further as I add to this blog over time. I appreciate any readers' comments, particularly when they expand upon a point in a direction I had not seen before.

I would not attempt to consider myself a resident expert on all things science fiction. I have seen and read what I have seen and read, and there is vastly more out there I haven't. But yes, if we were caught in a "time loop", I would imagine we would want to know why and how to get out of it. Repeating the same day over and over, no matter how enjoyable it may be, would eventually become boring to the point of tortuousness. I refer anyone who has gotten this far with me in that point to the Twilight Zone episode "A Nice Place to Visit". It doesn't repeat the same day over and over, but, getting what you want doesn't "work" after awhile. I would imagine individuals with more expansive minds than Rocky Valentine would take longer to get bored than he did, but it would still eventually happen.

Reply #83. Apr 24 17, 6:18 PM

Litecruzer

Thank-you! There are many scientific explanations for unusual happenings throughout the series. Much of those are, of course, relating to science fiction.

It seems that finding an effective way of getting people to think, is a skill that can be well put to use if used conscientiously. Some of those examples have been mentioned or discussed in this blog.

Reply #84. Apr 25 17, 8:09 PM

brm50diboll

I did google the episode you mentioned. Seems it was one of the most popular episodes of the entire series and included a lot of humor in it, not just the Groundhog Day reference. Thank you for pointing that out to me.

Reply #85. Apr 25 17, 9:52 PM

MCMiller1987

Groundhog Day, if I were actually stuck in this kind of time loop ( and sometimes I feel as if I am) would get very old after awhile.

Reply #86. May 01 17, 5:28 AM

brm50diboll

Bill Murray entertained himself by doing outrageous things, knowing there wouldn't be any consequences, as the day would just repeat. But my luck would be the loop would stop after I did something outrageous.

I just found the 1980 movie version of Brave New World and am in the process of watching it. There are several movie versions, but somehow I seem to have missed them all, so I am watching this one with my full critical eye on it looking for how it deviates from the book. I've already noticed a time sequence reordering, but it's not too bad. I've got too much going on right now to watch it all in one sitting, but I'll get through it in a couple of weeks.

Reply #87. May 01 17, 9:55 PM

TopherChris

This thread reminds me of an (I think) Asimov quote when asked how Superman is able to travel faster than the speed of light:

"That the speed of light is the upper limit is theory; that Superman can travel faster than it is fact."

Reply #88. May 03 17, 3:37 PM

brm50diboll

Superman's powers have expanded over time, probably because writers began running out of ideas. Originally, he could not fly, he could only "jump over tall buildings in a single bound." This "creep of powers" may be common to the origins of ancient myths and legends.

On another note, and I realize it is quite late in the FT day, but better late than never: To all readers of this blog (and I know this is also on The FT homepage in the Duel intro - but this is a science fiction blog, after all):

May the Fourth be with you, always.

Reply #89. May 04 17, 8:35 PM

brm50diboll

OK. Time for a few words about Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Originally, it was a book (The Body Snatchers.) Then a 1956 movie starring Kevin McCarthy, which apparently had anti-McCarthyist (the senator, Joseph, not the actor) overtones in it. Then the 1978 remake starring Donald Sutherland and, yes, Leonard Nimoy (in a non-Star Trek role), in which Kevin McCarthy had a brief cameo, then a couple of later remakes (Body Snatchers) and The Invasion (which starred one of my favorite actresses, Nicole Kidman.)

First, I begin by confessing I have not read the book or seen the original 1956 movie version. I have seen the 1978 movie version and the Nicole Kidman remake. But I have read quite a bit (mostly on the internet) of the versions I have not seen, and apparently there are many that feel the 1978 remake was superior to the 1956 original, which is unusual for remakes. I really liked the 1978 version, or I probably wouldn't be discussing it now. Creepy, creepy. Actually, more horror than science fiction, but not too much gore - I'm not into that. And of course, the ending is not happy - that would ruin it. When Donald Sutherland screeches at the end, man, what an ending!

Some people have said the 1978 version is actually a commentary on political correctness run amuck in California. The movie is set, after all, in San Francisco. (As an aside, I have always been amused that Star Fleet and Federation headquarters in the 23rd century Star Trek universe is set in San Francisco.)

Now, if you have never heard of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, (and yet you're reading this for some reason), you need to read or see at least one version. I highly recommend the 1978 version. Extraterrestrial plants replace humans with emotionless "pod-creature" duplicates when the original humans go to sleep. When a few people notice what is going on and try to stop it, and later, when that fails, to simply escape it, they find they must go without sleep.

Not a movie to help you sleep soundly. I note that Nicole Kidman was also in a version of The Stepford Wives, which has a similar creepy plot, although in The Stepford Wives, the originals are replaced by emotionless robots rather than pod-creatures. Of course, what the theme of this really is is the destruction of true human individuality by mindless conformity to social norms, whatever they may happen to be at a particular time and place.

Reply #90. May 09 17, 3:17 PM

MiraJane

"The Stepford Wives" wasn't really about "... the destruction of true human individuality by mindless conformity to social norms, whatever they may happen to be at a particular time and place."

The overriding theme was about something different.

Reply #91. May 09 17, 8:09 PM

brm50diboll

It was about men destroying the autonomy of their wives and replacing them with robots that would do exactly as they wanted. Destruction of personal autonomy is bad regardless of who happens to be doing the destruction. I should clarify my remarks about "emotionlessness". Actually, both pod people and Stepford Wives were quite capable of expressing emotions - particularly smiling. People who are always smiling and pleasant bother me. And the voice of HAL was so calm and pleasant, which added to its chilling quality. "I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that." I am reminded of the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy" in which the Klingon commander Koor (may be off on the spelling here) was annoyed by the constant smiling of the Organians, but when he saw Kirk, who was pretending to be an Organian, but did not smile, he said something like: "Good. A little honest hatred." I prefer genuine emotions over forced and fake ones; they are actually fairly transparent. This I think was one of Julius Caesar's flaws: "Let me have men about me that are fat. Sleek-headed men, such as sleep o'nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much, such men are dangerous." Caesar may have done better by befriending a few more "thinking men". And his ultimate heir, Octavian, was more like Cassius in terms of his personality than he was like Antony.

Reply #92. May 09 17, 8:55 PM

MCMiller1987

I agree. I don't trust someone who is ALWAYS smiling.

Reply #93. May 10 17, 9:44 PM

brm50diboll

There is a time for smiling, obviously. But in science fiction movies, the fake smiles are pretty obvious. In the 1980 version of Brave New World I've been watching, it's interesting that the Gammas always seem to be smiling.

Reply #94. May 10 17, 10:04 PM

MiraJane

Brian, I read the book and saw both movies. I know what The Stepford Wives is about. Again, your first statement about what the theme of The Stepford Wives is incorrect.

What your opinion of the theme is says more about you than what The Stepford Wives theme really is. I find it very sad that have the opinion you do.

Reply #95. May 10 17, 11:00 PM

brm50diboll

The second version, despite having Nicole Kidman in it, was not very good because they tried to be funny with it. The first version, the 1975 version with Katherine Ross, was straight horror, as it should be. There is nothing funny about what the men of Stepford, Connecticut were doing. Any readers can make up their own minds. I'm going to express my opinion. It was destruction of autonomy by the men against their own wives and it was a reflection of the "norms" those men were creating in their community. Pointing out certain similarities between different movies does not mean I think they are about the same thing. It means I see a similarity, and my remarks were specifically about that similarity, destruction of autonomy.

Reply #96. May 10 17, 11:16 PM

brm50diboll

I regret I have been gone so long from this blog of mine, but real life has intervened and my "muses" have not given me enough inspiration to write a full topic over the past few days. But I am still thinking, and I do have a few things "in the oven", so to speak, but if I brought them out now, they would be half-baked.

That was a little joke. Very little, as Spock would say. Some might say this whole blog is half-baked.

Anyway, while I wait on my muses, let's try a little meme:

These violent delights have violent ends.

Now think. Think deeply.

Reply #97. May 20 17, 12:33 AM

brm50diboll

An appetizer.

A very strange episode of Star Trek that comes to mind is "Spectre of the Gun", a kind of retelling of the famous gunfight at the OK Corral in the 23rd century. There are a number of curious "links" here. The creator of Star Trek, back in the 1950s, had been a writer for TV westerns. When he had originally pitched his idea for Star Trek to the NBC brass, he had described it as a kind of "Wagon Train to the stars". DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard McCoy on Star Trek, had appeared in numerous 1950s TV westerns as well. In fact, DeForest Kelley had actually been in the Kirk Douglas/ Burt Lancaster movie "Gunfight at the OK Corral", where he had played Morgan Earp.

In "Spectre of the Gun", the Enterprise enters a region of space controlled by the peculiar Melkotians, a race known to be highly advanced but not contacted by the Federation before. They encountered a warning buoy set by the Melkotians telling them not to trespass into their territory, but they went around it and were determined to make contact, and make contact they did.

The Melkotians, like the Talosians in the Star Trek pilot "The Cage" (previously discussed), were masters of projecting illusions into humans' minds. For violating their warning, they sentenced Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov to death by "a method of your own choosing". These five suddenly found themselves in a weird version of Tombstone Arizona in the 1880s. I say "weird version" because the buildings were not complete, just western facades, and all the individuals they met recognized and greeted them as members of the Clanton gang, even though their appearances had not changed, and they were all wearing their Star Trek uniforms. Their phasers, however, had become six-shooters. They were constantly being told by the people they met they were due to have a shootout with the Earps at the OK Corral that evening if they did not get out of town, but they were unable to convince anyone they were not the Clanton gang and had no intent of fighting the Earps. Chekov was killed prematurely that afternoon, which was very disturbing to Kirk ("Ike Clanton"), since the character everyone mistook Chekov for was actually known to be a survivor of the gunfight at the OK Corral, which meant the scenario wasn't following history.

They tried to leave town, but encountered a force field at the city limits that kept them in. Spock tried to design a sleep gas canister, but when they tested it, it didn't work, which distressed Spock greatly, because by "all the laws of science" (as Spock put it), it should have worked. Spock concluded from this that the whole scenario was not real but an illusion projected by the Melkotians. Kirk ordered everyone to stay put and *not* go to the OK Corral, but when the time arrived, the four remaining magically found themselves instantly in the OK Corral as the Earps and Doc Holliday were arriving.

Spock told the others the Earps and their bullets were not real, they were illusions, "spectres", and could not be harmed. But McCoy was doubtful and believed the slightest doubt would kill them. So Spock mind-melded with the other three to remove all doubts because Spock was 100% convinced by science the Earps were not real. The four walked into blazing gunfire from the Earps and were not affected. Suddenly, they found themselves back on the Enterprise bridge (with a live, but forgetful Chekov), with a message from the Melkotians that their bravery had saved them and they were released from their "sentence" and now were now welcome in Melkotian space.

Surrealistic. Almost like...something else.

Reply #98. May 22 17, 4:52 PM

brm50diboll

In the Star Trek episode "Shore Leave", Kirk and company arrive at a beautiful earth like planet where they want to take shore leaves, but they discover very weird things happening. Basically, anything they imagine, good or bad, appears for them. It starts, appropriately enough, with Dr. McCoy seeing a giant white rabbit saying "I'm late", followed by a blonde girl. Kirk thinks about an old antagonist of his at Starfleet Academy when he was a plebe named Finnegan. Fifteen years have gone by, but Finnegan hasn't aged a bit. Kirk wants answers from Finnegan about what he is doing there and Finnegan pointedly replies "I'm being exactly what you expect me to be." Kirk gets into a knockdown dragout fight with Finnegan which he eventually wins, and when Spock comes by, Spock asks him if he enjoyed himself. Kirk replies he did, actually. He's always wanted to beat the tar out of Finnegan. Spock then says he believes the people underneath the planet's surface somehow read their minds and quickly manufacture whatever it is they've been thinking about. At the end of the episode, the "curator" of the planet shows up to explain the whole planet is actually a giant amusement park for an extremely advanced race. Kirk wants to meet others of this race, but the curator does not believe humans are "ready" to meet them yet.

And now, another meme:

The maze is not for you.

Reply #99. May 30 17, 10:26 AM

brm50diboll

Or, more precisely:

The maze isn't meant for you.

Reply #100. May 31 17, 11:35 AM

469 replies. On page 5 of 24 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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